Weekly Racing Recap for Oct. 24, 2010

Sometimes, the week’s biggest running news comes from someone who didn’t run a race. Such was the case this week, when Ryan Hall, who recently withdrew from the Chicago Marathon after a lengthy period of subpar training, announced that he plans to leave his training group and coach himself. While many in the running media focused on Hall, a small group of runners went out and put up fast times in competitive 26.2-mile races around the world. Those unfortunately overlooked athletes and races are covered here.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

In Chuncheon, Korea, a large group of Kenyan men hung tightly together through the opening miles before eventual winner Benjamin Kiptoo threw down an extended surge, opening up a large gap with just over a mile remaining. The 31-year-old finished in 2:07:54 in nearly ideal weather conditions. That combination — perfect weather and fast finishing times — has been the story of the season for European marathons so far. Behind Kiptoo, Kenyans Benson Kipchumba (2:08:53) and David Kipserem (2:08:54) cracked the 2:09 barrier, which had never been done in this race before. The women’s race was far less competitive, with Korean athletes taking the top three spots. Sun Yung Kim, who ran 2:43:39, came away with an easy win. Race recap and top results for Chuncheon here.

The Venice Marathon saw a quick early pace that threatened to challenge the course record of 2:08:13 set last year by Kenya’s John Komen. But a large group that was left intact at halfway, along with a more challenging course the second half of the race, rendered any record attempts futile. That didn’t stop Kenyan Simon Mukun from running the race of his life, however. With two kilometers remaining, only Mukun and Ethiopian Sahle Betona were in contention for the win. With a quarter mile until the finish, Betona stumbled and fell and left the win to Mukun, whose 2:09:35 was a personal best by over two minutes. Betona recovered to finish second in 2:09:47, easily besting Kenyan Peter Nderitu, who was third in 2:10:52.

The women’s race in Venice mimicked the men’s fast early racing, a rare sight in a year that has been mostly unkind to female marathoners. Makda Haji of Ethiopia, who had planned on the fast pace from the gun, stayed with the lead group of women through 30K, at which point only she and Kenyan Elizabeth Chemweno broke away. With two kilometers to win, Haji put in a final surge that broke Chemweno; Haji won in 2:28:08. Chemwemo was second in 2:29:21, and a fast-closing Elena Ruhliada of Russia was third in 2:30:41. Recap and top results for both the men’s and women’s races can be found here.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Beijing was host to the third big-city marathon of the weekend, but unlucky racers encountered rain and wind that has rarely been seen in major road races this fall. Gena Siraj of Ethiopia managed the conditions the best, winning in a pedestrian 2:15:45. Gert Thys of South Africa hung on gamely until the final kilometer to place second in 2:15:56. Of note, Mathew Sigei of Kenya entered the race as a pacemaker, did his duty, decided to stay in the race, fell back to sixth, then rallied to finish third in 2:16:01 in what was no doubt a painful and determined effort. China swept the top four places in the women’s race, with Wang Jiali getting the better of previous winner Chen Rong, who led through much of the race. Jiali crossed the line in 2:29:31, 15 seconds faster than Rong. Recap and top results here.

Finally, the UK hosted the Great South Run in Portsmouth, an elite 10M race that attracts some of the world’s best road racers. Kenya’s Joseph Ebuya, who won the world cross country championhips in Bydgoszcz in March, easily dispatched a quality field to finish in 45:16, the fastest time ever run on British soil. He won by 40 seconds, and in so doing beat Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar, who is the world record-holder in the steeplechase. Ebuya’s effort was entirely solo, and the runner who was once among the poorest of Kenyans has become a frequent competitor in big-money races and now seems able to win at will. After the race, Ebuya said he will defend his title in cross country in 2011.

The women’s title went to Grace Momyani, who was coming off a win in the Commonwealth Games 10,000m. Momyani ran 52:03, a very fast time for the distance, but the bigger surprise came from Great Britain’s Freya Murray, who had never before run a 10M race and finished second here in 52:27. That time was enough for her to become the fifth-fastest runner at this distance in her country’s history. Third place went to Hungary’s Aniko Kalovics in 53:01. Recap and top results here.

Next week, major NCAA conferences, including the Pac-10, Big-10, and Big-12, will hold their cross country championships. The country’s best harriers figure to use this race as an all-out effort before running more controlled in their regional championships heading into the national championships on November 22. Marathons in Dublin on Monday and in Nairobi on Sunday could provide fireworks, and the Frankfurt Marathon is often the site of fast times.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.